On Monday, unidentified assailants kidnapped 79 children, their principal and a driver from the PSS Nkwen school in Bamenda in Northwest region and took them into the bush outside town, military and government sources said.

An army spokesman blamed separatists for Monday’s kidnapping. A separatist spokesman denied involvement and said government soldiers had carried it out, as a ploy to discredit the insurgents.

Biya, making an inauguration speech after re-election last month that extends his 36-year-old rule, did not mention the kidnapping but attacked the separatists.

Olugbenga Ige is an AAUA alumnus. Gbenga loves watching Manchester United play at Old Trafford. When he isn't listening to music, he is watching movies. Gbenga is an experienced reporter at Concise News and a new media enthusiast.